Pope Valentine

Pope Valentine (770-16 September 827) was pope from 31 August to 16 September 827, succeeding Pope Eugene II and preceding Pope Gregory IV.

Biography
Valentinus was born in 770 AD to Leontius, a member of the nobility in Rome. He was a deacon under Pope Paschal I, and he rose to archdeacon. Pope Eugene II favored Valentinus as his successor as pope, and there were rumors that Valentine was Eugene's illegitimate son or his homosexual lover. The clergy, nobility, and people of Rome agreed that Valentine would be a good successor to Eugene when he died in 827, and they consecrated him as Pope on 31 August 827, although he was not a priest. He died within five weeks, never having been able to ratify his election with Emperor Louis the Pious of West Francia.